The Dark [Hardcover]

James Herbert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2000

It came like a malignant shadow with seductive promises of power. And somewhere in the night, a small girl smiled as her mother burned. Asylum inmates slaughtered their attendants. In slimy tunnels, once-human creatures gathered. Madness raged as the lights began to fade and humanity was attacked by an ancient, unstoppable evil.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 439 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan UK (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0333761243
• ISBN-13: 978-0333761243
• Product Dimensions: 1.8 x 6.2 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,024,753 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great...but not original, July 28, 2006

By 

Krithi Ramamritham (Amherst, Mass) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dark (Paperback)

This is one of Herbert's earlier books, with lots of sex and danger and intrigue, but it follows the pattern of books like The Fog just a little too much. Otherwise...a great story and better than the John Carpenter movie of the same name.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A CHILLER THRILLER..., September 23, 2006

By 

Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Dark (Paperback)

This British author is immensely popular for his horror fiction. Having read a number of his other books and enjoyed them, I delved into this one with much anticipation. I was not disappointed, as it is similar thematically to another of his books, "The Fog", which is one of his best books. While in that book, a fog sweeps across the United Kingdom, causing those it touches to commit insane acts of mayhem, here, a dark entity, best described as infinite blackness, does the same.

Initially confined to Beechwood, a mansion on Willow Road and the site of mass murder and suicides, it feeds on those whom it touches and causes them to perpetrate acts of horrific violence, releasing man's most primal fears and instincts. When Beechwood is demolished, this darkness ventures out beyond the parameters of the house, causing those with whom it come into contact to act out their basest instincts and destroy those who remain unaffected. This novel engages the reader, as the protagonists in the book try to sort things out and defeat this evil entity. Well-written and interesting, devotees of the horror genre, as well as fans of the author, will enjoy this book.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars best I've read by James herbert, December 12, 2005

By 

booktyrant - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Dark (Paperback)

I recently started to read James Herbert novels. I have read The Fog, Magic Cottage, Portent, and now, the Dark. This is a great book. It is pretty creepy in parts, but overall it is well written and a joy to read. I read it in three sittings, and it isn't exactly a short book...check this one out, if you are a longtime fan, or just beginning to read his works...